Solar-cell module package and packaging method of solar cell module

ABSTRACT

To provide a solar-cell module package including a wrapped body that is obtained by wrapping a solar cell module with a wrapper, a pallet on which a plurality of the wrapped bodies are stacked, a wrapped-body protection member that is provided at four corners of the plurality of wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet to protect corners of the wrapped bodies, and a wrapping material that is wrapped around the wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet and the wrapped-body protection members to fix these elements on the pallet.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a solar-cell module package packaged for transporting a plurality of solar cell modules, and to a packaging method of the solar cell modules.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, a solar cell module has a thin structure having a wide area, and thus solar cell modules are transported in a state of being stacked on each other.

In order to prevent solar cell modules from being damaged or broken due to vibration at the time of transportation, there has been known a method such that respective solar cell modules are individually protected and packaged by cardboard, and then they are stacked and transported.

Patent Literatures 1 and 2 discloses a support member that is put between solar cell modules at the time of stacking them.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-229040

Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-229041

SUMMARY Technical Problem

In a conventional solar-cell module package, because respective solar cell modules are individually packaged by cardboard, the material cost of the package increases and it takes time for an unpacking operation. Further, the cardboard needs to be used in a large amount for transportation, and the cost for disposal or return of used cardboard after transportation increases.

The support member disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 is obtained by molding a resin material in a complicated shape, and thus its manufacturing cost increases. Furthermore, at the time of unpacking, support members positioned at four corners of the solar cell modules need to be detached individually, thereby taking much time for the unpacking operation. Further, because the support members have a bulky shape so that an air gap is formed between stacked solar cell modules, the cost for disposal or return of the cardboard after use increases.

The present invention has been achieved in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a solar-cell module package that can reduce the packaging material cost and the cost for disposal or return after use, and that can save the time for an unpacking operation.

Solution to Problem

To solve the above problems and achieve the object, a solar-cell module package according to the present invention includes: a wrapped body that is obtained by wrapping a solar cell module with a wrapper; a pallet on which the wrapped body is stacked in plural and loaded; a wrapped-body protection member that is provided at four corners of the plurality of wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet to protect the corners of the wrapped bodies; and a wrapping material that is wrapped around the wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet and the wrapped-body protection members to fix these elements on the pallet.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The solar-cell module package according to the present invention can be easily unpacked and can reduce the cost for disposal or return of used packaging materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exterior view of a solar-cell module package according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the solar-cell module package according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a wrapped body.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the wrapped body.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the wrapped body.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of stacking wrapped bodies by an automated robot.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a state of holding a wrapped body by an automated robot.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a solar-cell module package according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of a solar-cell module package according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is an exterior view of a solar-cell module package according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the solar-cell module package according to the first embodiment, and illustrates a cross section along a line II-II in FIG. 1. FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are diagrams illustrating a wrapped body constituting the solar-cell module package.

The solar-cell module package according to the first embodiment includes a wrapped body 1 obtained by wrapping a solar cell module 5 with a wrapper 6, a pallet 3 on which a plurality of wrapped bodies 1 are stacked, wrapped-body holding members 2 that respectively holds a corner of the stacked wrapped bodies 1, and a wrapping material 4 that collectively wraps and fixes the wrapped bodies 1, the pallet 3, and the wrapped-body holding members 2. In FIG. 2, the wrapping material is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the wrapped body 1 is formed by wrapping the solar cell module 5 with the wrapper 6. The length of the wrapper 6 in a longitudinal direction is about 1.5 times the length of the solar cell module 5, and the length of the wrapper 6 in a lateral direction is about the same as the width of the solar cell module 5. The wrapper 6 is positioned to cover a back sheet side (rear surface side) of the solar cell module 5, and in each of short sides of the solar cell module 5, about one fourth of the length of the solar cell module 5, the wrapper 6 is folded back onto a glass surface side (surface side). Both ends of the wrapper 6 folded back onto the glass surface side are stretched toward a center of the solar cell module 5 so that the wrapper 6 is closely placed on the glass surface and a rigid frame surface which is provided on an outer periphery of the solar cell module 5. In this state, the both ends of the wrapper 6 folded back onto the glass surface and the wrapper 6 on the back sheet side are fixed at four positions by a tape 7 so that there is no slack of the wrapper 6. By covering the entire back sheet side of the solar cell module 5 with the wrapper 6, a terminal box and a connector installed on the back sheet side can be protected as well as the back sheet, which is likely to be damaged more easily as compared to glass. The amount of materials to be used can be reduced by covering only a part of the glass surface side with the wrapper 6.

When the wrapped body 1 is loaded on the pallet 3 by an automated robot, a position where a claw 10 of the automated robot holds the wrapped body 1 and a fixing position of the tape 7 are matched with each other. As a result, the claw 10 of the automated robot is prevented from entering into a gap between a frame and the wrapper 6, and the frame is prevented from being damaged by the claw 10 of the automated robot. By applying the above described method, stacking the wrapped body 1 on the pallet by the automated robot can be realized same as the case of packing by the cardboard, thereby suppressing an increase of the number of workers.

Because the wrapped body 1 can be held by four claws of the automated robot by providing the tape 7 for fixing the wrapper 6 at four positions, the wrapped body 1 can be stably held at the time of loading of the wrapped body 1 by the automated robot.

A plurality of wrapped bodies 1 formed in the above described manner are stacked on the pallet 3, which is larger than the external shape of the solar cell module 5. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of stacking wrapped bodies by an automated robot. FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a state of holding a wrapped body by an automated robot.

The pallet 3 is made of wood, as in pallets used for normal transportation, and the pallet 3 is provided with holes for inserting claws of a transfer forklift on the side of the pallet 3. The size of the pallet 3 is slightly larger than the external shape of the solar cell module 5, so that the wrapped body 1 does not protrude from the pallet 3 even if the wrapped body 1 moves slightly, taking into consideration the accuracy at the time of stacking wrapped bodies by an automated robot.

After a predetermined number of, for example, ten wrapped bodies 1 are stacked, the wrapped-body holding members 2 are provided outside of four corners of the stacked wrapped bodies 1. The wrapped-body holding members 2 are formed by stacking cardboard, and are folded along the corners of the wrapped bodies 1 and provided so as to cover the corners of the wrapped bodies 1. The height of the wrapped-body holding member 2 is substantially the same as that of the stacked wrapped bodies 1. The wrapped-body holding members 2 are temporarily fixed to the wrapped bodies 1 outside of the four corners of the stacked wrapped bodies 1 by using a tape 12.

A plurality of wrapped bodies 1 are stacked on the pallet 3, the wrapped-body holding members 2 are provided at the corners of the wrapped bodies 1, and protection paper 11 that has substantially the same area as that of the wrapped body 1 and protects the glass surface of the solar cell module 5 of the uppermost wrapped body 1 is placed on the uppermost wrapped body 1. Thereafter, the circumference of the pallet 3, the wrapped bodies 1, and the wrapped-body holding members 2 is wrapped with the wrapping material 4 to fix these elements.

The wrapping material 4 is, for example, a transparent polyethylene film, being elastic and adhesive. The wrapping material 4 wraps around so as to cover an upper corner of the pallet 3, the sides of the wrapped bodies 1, the wrapped-body holding members 2, and an upper corner of the uppermost wrapped body 1, thereby enabling to fix the pallet 3, the wrapped bodies 1, and the wrapped-body holding members 2. Because the wrapping material 4 is elastic and adhesive, by wrapping the stacked wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3 with the wrapping material 4 without looseness, the wrapping material 4 wraps around the stacked wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3 tightly in accordance with the external shape of the stacked wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3, thus the entire components can be fixed easily.

Furthermore, because the wrapping material 4 is made of a transparent material, a wrapping work can be easily performed, and the wrapped bodies 1 and the wrapped-body holding members 2 inside the wrapping material 4 can be visually checked easily after fixing.

In this manner, by wrapping the pallet 3, the wrapped bodies 1, and the wrapped-body holding members 2 with the wrapping material 4, the solar-cell module package is formed. The solar cell module 5 is provided with a rigid frame on an outer periphery thereof, and is originally provided with sufficient strength against stacking.

By wrapping the solar cell module 5 with the wrapper 6 to form wrapped bodies and then stacking the wrapped bodies on each other, frames are prevented from being damaged due to rubbing against each other. By holding the four corners of the stacked wrapped bodies 1 by the wrapped-body holding members 2, the wrapped body 1 can be prevented from displacing. Further, by wrapping the wrapped bodies 1 and the wrapped-body holding members 2 with the wrapping material 4, the wrapped-body holding members 2 are securely pressed against the wrapped bodies 1, thereby enabling to suppress displacement of the wrapped bodies 1.

Further, by also wrapping the upper corners of the pallet 3 with the wrapping material 4, the wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3 can be fixed. By also wrapping the upper corners of the uppermost wrapped body 1 with the wrapping material 4, the wrapped bodies 1 can be prevented from moving up and down and can be fixed. Accordingly, even if there are vibrations during transportation, the solar cell module 5 can be securely fixed to the pallet 3, thereby enabling to prevent the solar cell module 5 from being damaged or broken.

Because the wrapper 6 to cover the solar cell module 5 is lightweight as compared to cardboard, weight saving of the solar-cell module package can be achieved. Further, at the time of unpacking, the solar cell module 5 can be taken out by tearing the wrapper 6. Accordingly, the workability is improved considerably as compared to a case of packing the solar cell module 5 individually by cardboard. Further, the weight and volume of unnecessary packaging materials after unpacking can be reduced, thereby facilitating collection of these materials at the time of disposal. By using the wrapper 6 that is less expensive than cardboard, the material cost of the packaging material can be reduced.

Second Embodiment

A solar-cell module package according to a second embodiment of the present invention is described. The wrapped body 1, the wrapped-body holding member 2, the pallet 3, the wrapping material 4, and the protection paper 11 are the same as those of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the solar-cell module package according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The solar-cell module package according to the second embodiment has a configuration such that a fixing band 8 and a band protection member 9 are added to the solar-cell module package according to the first embodiment. That is, the solar-cell module package according to the second embodiment includes a wrapped body 1 obtained by wrapping the solar cell module 5 with the wrapper 6, the pallet 3 on which a plurality of the wrapped bodies 1 are stacked, the wrapped-body holding members 2 that respectively holds a corner of the stacked wrapped bodies 1, the wrapping material 4 for wrapping and fixing the wrapped bodies 1, the pallet 3, and the wrapped-body holding members 2 collectively, the fixing band 8 that fixes the wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3, and the band protection member 9 that is provided between the wrapped bodies 1 and the fixing band 8.

The fixing band 8 is formed in a loop so as to pass through holes in the pallet 3, and to press down the upper corners of the uppermost wrapped body 1 from above the wrapping material 4, and fixation of the wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3 is reinforced by fastening the entire package. The band protection member 9 is provided between the wrapping material 4 and the fixing band 8 to prevent the solar cell module 5 from being damaged by the fixing band 8.

By having such a configuration, fixation of the wrapped bodies 1 and the pallet 3 is reinforced, and even if the wrapping material 4 expands or contracts, the wrapped bodies 1 can be fixed firmly on the pallet 3. Further, because the band protection member 9 is provided between the fixing band 8 and the wrapping material 4, the solar cell module 5 is not damaged, even if local force acts thereon by being pulled by the fixing band 8. Accordingly, even if there are vibrations during transportation, the solar cell module 5 can be fixed firmly on the pallet 3, thereby enabling to prevent the solar cell module 5 from being damaged or broken.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the solar-cell module package and the packaging method of a solar cell module according to the present invention are useful in characteristics such that an unpacking operation is easy and the disposal or return cost of used packaging materials can be reduced, and are particularly suitable for packaging solar cell modules to be delivered to a location such as a mega-solar power plant, where a large amount of solar cell modules are installed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1 wrapped body, 2 wrapped-body holding member, pallet, 4 wrapping material, 5 solar cell module, 6 wrapper, 7, 12 tape, 8 fixing band, 9 band protection member, 10 claw of automated robot, 11 protection paper. 

1. A solar-cell module package comprising: a wrapped body that is obtained by wrapping a solar cell module with a wrapper having a width same as a width of the solar-cell module package; a pallet on which the wrapped body is stacked in plural and loaded; a wrapped-body protection member that is provided at four corners of the plurality of wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet to protect the corners of the wrapped bodies; and a wrapping material that is wrapped around the wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet and the wrapped-body protection members to fix these elements on the pallet.
 2. The solar-cell module package according to claim 1, wherein the wrapper has a length in a longitudinal direction longer than that of the solar cell module, and the wrapped body is formed in such a manner that the ends of the wrapper in a longitudinal direction covering a rear surface side of the solar cell module are folded back onto a surface side of the solar cell module on opposite short sides thereof.
 3. The solar-cell module package according to claim 2, wherein the wrapped body includes a tape for bonding a portion of the wrapper covering the rear surface side of the solar cell module and a portion thereof folded back onto the surface side of the solar cell module, across a side surface on a long side of the solar cell module, and the tape is provided at four positions corresponding to four corners of the solar cell module.
 4. The solar-cell module package according to claim 1, comprising: a fixing band that is wound around the pallet and the wrapped bodies stacked on the pallet; and a band protection member that is inserted between the wrapped bodies and the fixing band.
 5. (canceled) 